Variability in axillary lymph node delineation for breast cancer radiotherapy in presence of guidelines on a multi-institutional platform.

Aim: To quantify the variability between radiation oncologists (ROs) when outlining axillary nodes in breast cancer.

Material And Methods: For each participating center, three ROs with different levels of expertise, i.e.

Computed Tomography Perfusion of Prostate Cancer: Diagnostic Value of Quantitative Analysis.

Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the diagnostic value of computed tomography perfusion (CTp) of prostate in distinguishing between normal tissue and malignant lesion by using quantitative threshold values of CTp parameters.

Materials And Methods: Sixty-one consecutive men with indication for radical prostatectomy were prospectively enrolled. All patients were intravenously injected with 80-mL bolus of nonionic iodinated contrast medium during cine-mode acquisition protocol.

Modeling the risk of radiation-induced lung fibrosis: Irradiated heart tissue is as important as irradiated lung.

Purpose: We used normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) modeling to explore the impact of heart irradiation on radiation-induced lung fibrosis (RILF).

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed for RILF 148 consecutive Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) patients treated with sequential chemo-radiotherapy (CHT-RT). Left, right, total lung and heart dose-volume and dose-mass parameters along with clinical, disease and treatment-related characteristics were analyzed.

Dose escalation for prostate cancer using the three-dimensional conformal dynamic arc technique: analysis of 542 consecutive patients.

Purpose: To present the results of dose escalation using three-dimensional conformal dynamic arc radiotherapy (3D-ART) for prostate cancer.

Methods And Materials: Five hundred and forty two T1-T3N0M0 prostate cancer patients were treated with 3D-ART. Dose escalation (from 76 Gy/38 fractions to 80 Gy/40 fractions) was introduced in September 2003; 32% of patients received 80 Gy.

Transabdominal ultrasonography, computed tomography and electronic portal imaging for 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy for prostate cancer.

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of daily B-mode acquisition and targeting ultrasound-based prostate localization (BAT) and to compare it with computed tomography (CT) and electronic portal imaging (EPI) in 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3-D CRT) for prostate cancer.

Patients And Methods: Ten patients were treated with 3-D CRT (72 Gy/30 fractions, 2.4 Gy/fraction, equivalent to 80 Gy/40 fractions, for alpha/beta ratio of 1.

Thyroid disorders in patients treated with radiotherapy for head-and-neck cancer: a retrospective analysis of seventy-three patients.

Purpose: To evaluate the incidence of thyroid disorders and dose distribution to the thyroid in patients treated with radiotherapy for head-and-neck carcinomas.

Methods And Materials: A retrospective evaluation of data from 73 patients treated for head-and-neck cancers in our department was performed. Thyroid function was evaluated mainly by the measurement of thyrotropin (thyroid stimulating hormone [TSH]).